It’s impossible to study medieval archery without talking about the Mary Rose. The flagship of Henry VIII’s fleet, it sank in 1545 and took nearly its whole crew with it. It’s subsequent rediscovery, first in the nineteenth and then in the late twentieth centuries, was one of the most exciting discoveries in undersea archaeology. For historians of the longbow, it was even more important because several chests full of longbows were discovered amidst the wreck. These remain the only surviving English longbows from its period of dominance in the English armies. 1545 is late in the longbow’s life, over a century after the glory of Agincourt and only a few decades before it was officially retired by Queen Elizabeth I. Still, the hundreds of surviving bows on the Mary Rose have fuelled decades of debate and discussion in the history of archery and the longbow’s role in it.
Up until very recently that was most of what I knew about the Mary Rose. I’m a historian who has generally specialised in the history of archery so while I knew the big picture of the Mary Rose and how it sank, I was mostly interested in the bows (and arrows) that were recovered from the wreck. That made Brian Lavery’s book an interesting read, as Lavery is first and foremost a naval historian and the book emphasises the Mary Rose as a ship and its importance in the history of shipbuilding and development rather than just what was found on it.
This book is part of the Haynes Owner’s Workshop Manual series, a series that I’m basically entirely unfamiliar with. I understand that they started as actual practical guides, but have expanded into other spaces, where this book belongs. I thought it was kind of entertaining that the book jacket was framed like this was an owner’s guide to a sixteenth century warship, but the insides of the book are a straightforward history of the ship. This is probably the right choice; I don’t think it would have benefited from a gimmick framing it as actually a guide to owning your own early modern warship.
I know basically nothing about ships or sailing. I break out into a cold sweat if I’m ever expected to talk about naval military history, which is unfortunate given the prominent role archery played in it during the Middle Ages. I came into this book having heard nautical terms but having only the slimmest idea what they mean in practice and often finding it very annoying how ill explained they are. It is with some relief that I can report that for the most part Lavery’s writing does an excellent job of being beginner friendly. Terms are clearly defined, and the book is full to bursting with images and diagrams. Thanks to Lavery’s explanation I now fully understand what is meant when a ship is said to have been clinker-built. I cannot stress how many books have tried to explain it to me without me really understanding it, so that’s no small achievement.
Lavery’s discussion of how the Mary Rose was built, how it sailed, who crewed it are all interesting and if you’re a fan of nautical history – particularly if you’re more familiar with the centuries after the Tudor period – there’s a lot to like in this book. What I particularly appreciated was his discussion of the military career of the Mary Rose before its dramatic sinking in 1545. There seems to be a lot of misinformation out there, including a belief in some circles that it sank on its maiden voyage. In fact, by 1545 the Mary Rose was one of the older ships in the fleet, probably weighed down by having more guns than it was originally designed for. It had already participated in raids and at least one small skirmish. It’s not the most glorious record, but then naval battles weren’t particularly common at the time and the career of the Mary Rose, except for its dramatic accidental sinking, was representative for the time.
I also really enjoyed the final sections around the excavation, preservation, and display of the ship’s hull and items. Lavery provides a great window into the methodologies and challenges in uncovering and preserving history like the Mary Rose. It also reminded me that I timed my big trip to London to be at the exact moment when they were moving the Mary Rose into its new purpose-built museum and thus couldn’t see it – and I still haven’t, which is a real shame because it sounds amazing. If you have an interest in how underwater archaeology works or in the design of educational museum Lavery provides some excellent insight into both.
This book does an excellent job covering the full scope of the Mary Rose’s life, from its initial building to its recovery and display while remaining readable and engaging for general readers. Serious specialists will get more value out of the massive tomes about the wreck and excavation published by the Mary Rose Trust, I can attest to the quality of the one by Alexandra Hildred on weaponry, but for general readers this is a great place to start.